Heart, Soul, and Blood
by LadyNightRunner
Summary: Version 2.0. Attempted murder should be rewarded with death. This one gets worse: a forced alliance with the boys. Keeping secrets is hard, but telling Yusuke may not be the best idea. Careful Kurama...she's got connections to you!
1. Kill me now

Mmnn...I'm gonna try posting this again, after doing a SERIOUS reworking of it. I hope it now meets the apparent requirements of my fans...not that I have very many in the YYH fandom...oh well. Kristina is a bit of a Mary-Sue, I admit it. She was my first OC, and therefore isn't that great. PLease give this another try.

* * *

'_Thud'_

"Owww!" The girl yelped, rubbing her knees. She'd just tripped over the footrest next to her armchair. "How can I be so graceful and quiet when I'm on business and so blasted _clumsy_ at home?!"

"Probably because your life doesn't depend on you making it safely across the living room without mishap. And I think it's fun to watch you fall."

"Yeeeek!" She jumped a foot at the sound of the voice, which resulted in her falling hard on her rear. "_Titus_! DON'T _DO_ THAT!" The small black and orange mottled cat hopped off the top of the chair and sauntered over.

"What'd you bring for supper?"

"Oh, thanks for the sympathy. I brought flounder." She got to her feet. "C'mon, I've got business tonight. Eat quick." Titus hopped up onto the kitchen table, and proceeded to wolf down the fish at a surprising speed.

"What're we after tonight?"

"Blood. There's someone I need to see, and kill."

"I'm not coming unless we get something good out of this."

"Don't worry Titus, I believe they may have some objects of value."

"Oh. It's _that_ blood."

"Mmhm."

"After you've gotten your blood, are we going to go on as we have, or are we going to go straight?" Titus wanted to know. He shuddered at the thought of becoming a normal house cat instead of assisting in theft and robbery.

"Staying the same, of course. I don't think I _could _be a normal person. Now let's go." The pair hurried out the door. Once outside, the girl pulled on a mask, which hid her features so effectively that it seemed she had no face at all.

Keeping to the back roads and alleyways, Titus and his mistress made good time to their target. Carefully, she crept up to the door and picked the lock without a sound. With Titus behind her, she slunk down the hallway, opening each door and peering into every room. After her target was dead, she would search his room for something memorable to remember this by, and then determine whether there was anything worth stealing before she left. The other occupants of the house wouldn't know of their comrade's death until the next morning.

"Kristina! Over this way!" Titus came bounding up to her, an excited gleam in his eye.

"Good boy, Titus! If this goes well, you can pick your supper for a week!" Kristina peeked around the open doorway. There, completely oblivious of what waited for him, a tall, slim redhead slept peacefully. He would never know what happened because he would never wake up. She carefully unsheathed a dagger, relishing the soft, deadly hiss it made. Silently, she crept up to the head of the bed. Almost as if he knew and accepted his fate, the boy lay on his back, his throat bared. Titus hopped up on the bed to watch. "I thought you weren't interested." Kristina commented dryly.

"I didn't say that. Besides, it's been a long while since I tasted blood." Kristina held the knife close to the boy's throat, carefully lowering it until it touched his skin. She was about to press down and cut across, ending his life, when a strange shiver shook her body. The knife slipped, drawing a shallow line from just beneath the right side of his jaw to the left side of his collarbone. He stirred, mumbling something Kristina couldn't hear. Frightened, she froze, praying he would stay asleep.

The soft, comforting darkness of sleep was broken by a shiver that caused his entire body to convulse, followed by a thin, white-hot line of pain on his throat. It was enough to fully wake him, cursing and swearing in a low monotone. He opened his eyes to see the outline of someone with a cat sitting on their shoulder standing over him, a bloody dagger in one outstretched hand.

The redhead sat up, his eyes widening as he saw Kristina, the cat on her shoulder, and the dagger she held. A feeling of ice-cold dread filled her stomach. Before she could comprehend what was happening, he had opened his mouth and yelled "Everybody **up**! **_NOW_**! We've got _company_!" He vaulted out of bed and charged at her. Kristina dodged, and heard the sound of others waking up.

"Titus, get out of here." she hissed. The cat leaped off her shoulder and raced away. Before the boy could grab her, she tore out of the room, racing down a hall. Behind her, doors slammed open. Chancing a look behind her, Kristina saw the redhead, accompanied by 2 other boys, racing after her. Turning to see her pursuers had slowed Kristina down, and a fourth boy, who had a powerful demonic aura around him, tackled her. "Let…Go…Of…Me!" Kristina yelled in a deep voice, disguising her feminine tone. The redhead she had tried to kill approached, a thorn covered whip in one hand.

"I think we should take him to Koenma." He said, and then wrapped the whip around her tightly. Kristina winced as the thorns dug into her skin. "Yusuke, Kuwabara, I suggest you at least get some pants on." The two boys he'd spoken to were clad in only their boxers. They nodded and left. Several minutes later, they returned, fully clothed. A portal appeared beside Kristina, and she was lifted up, then thrown in.

"You are going to pay for this insult." she spat, lying on the floor of the room she'd been thrown into.

"So, boys, can I have an explanation as to why you're here, in my office, at 1:30 in the morning? And why, may I ask, is there someone tied up in Kurama's rosewhip lying on my floor?"

One of the boys spoke up. "Kurama woke us up."

"And why did you wake them Kurama?"

"This person-" Kurama poked Kristina in the ribs with his toe. "-was standing over me holding a bloody knife when I woke up. If you don't believe me, here, this is the dagger he had, and look" He tossed the dagger, which Kristina had dropped, onto the desk, and tilted his head back so the light shone on the still wet blood on his throat. "He tried to slit my throat. If that isn't reason to wake you up, than I don't know what is."

"Hmmmm. Well, untie him and-"

"Ouch! He just bit me! Release my leg, you savage! Let… _Go_!"

"Ummmf!" One of the boys slammed something hard into Kristina's back, knocking the breath from her body and forcing her to let go.

"What is he?" One of the boys wanted to know.

"Hey, look! He's a demon." In order to make her bite hurt as much as possible, Kristina had forced a change to her demon form, which had very sharp canine teeth.

"He drew blood!" The redhead grumbled, examining his tattered pant leg.

"How 'bout you boys untie him, hold him, and let me speak to him." Grudgingly, they unwound the whip from Kristina's body and shoved her into a chair.

"Well, mister, I suppose you think you're pretty clever, trying to kill one of my Spirit Detectives."

"Well, for one thing," Kristina hissed, "I'm not a mister." Shaking the boys off her arms, she carefully removed the mask and sweatshirt she was wearing.

"He's a she!"

"And _what_ a she!" Kristina glared at the boys who just said this, one a tall, powerfully built boy with orange hair and brown eyes, the other a shorter boy who had slicked back black hair and dark blue eyes.

"Try saying that again when I'm not outnumbered and see what happens." She growled, turning back to Koenma. "So, get on with it. Just sentence me or something. If you don't, I'm sure that _he'd_ love to do something." Kristina nodded at the redhead, whose emerald green eyes were glittering angrily.

"Well, normally you would be executed for the attempted murder of someone in my employment, but-"

"_But_!? But _what_!? She just tried to _kill_ me and you're just going to give her a slap on the wrist and release her? That's…mmmmmmf!" The fourth boy, who had, until now, stayed in the shadows came up behind Kurama and covered his mouth with one hand.

"Just remember whom you're talking to, idiot!" he whispered in Kurama's ear.

"So, brat, what are you gonna do with me? If you imprison me, I can guarantee I'll escape."

"You're not going to be imprisoned, miss…"

"Kristina Blackfell." She said angrily.

"Well, Miss Blackfell, instead of life imprisonment or immediate execution, you are to work with these boys."

"_WHAT_!?".

"No need to shout, and my decision is final. You boys need a fifth partner to enter the upcoming tournament. Incidentally, you must have at least 1 female combatant on your team to enter."

"Hn. She'd better not cause any trouble." The short boy with black hair and red eyes said, and then left.

"Boys, follow Hiei and leave, I need to speak with Kristina alone." Grudgingly, all three left, although the redhead paused beside her chair, bent low, and whispered in her ear "When the tournament is over, you are going to pay in blood for what you did to me." His words dripped venom.

"I couldn't have said it better myself. What better way to please myself than by killing the person who ruined my life." Kristina answered.

"Not kill, at least not immediately. I want to see you writhe in pain before you die."

"To not kill is a sign of weakness, half-breed." The redhead exhaled sharply. To a pureblooded demon, the name 'half-breed' was as rude an insult as any you might utter.

"Hmph. See you on the battlefield, vixen."

"Likewise, whelp."

"Are you two _finished_?" Koenma was getting impatient. Kurama stalked out of the room with the air of a cat whose tail has just been stepped on. "Unless I am very much mistaken, you just got the true personality of Yoko Kurama to speak with you. In all the time I have known him, that has happened only a handful of times, and never has he spoken more than a few words. Just who _are_ you?"

"Like speaks to like, blood must answer blood." Kristina muttered to herself.

"Could you repeat that? I didn't quite catch it."

"I said nothing," she said quickly, glaring at Koenma. He sighed and gave up on coaxing any more information out of her.

"You are to move in with the boys, here, at the tournament, and in the human world. Until the appropriate additions can be made, you will share a room with Hiei."

"Which one is he?" Kristina questioned. She'd already decided to protest if her roommate turned out to be the annoying boy with orange hair.

"He's the short demon with black hair and red eyes. He-"

"_Oh_, no. You're _so_ not sticking me with another demon."

"Fine, you'll say with Yusuke Urameshi, the boy with an attitude as bad as yours."

"Fine by me."

"I think you two are going to be more than the others can handle." Koenma muttered. Annoyed, Kristina cracked her knuckles, delighted when Koenma winced. Score? Kristina: 1 Koenma: 0

/The next evening/(Kristina was given time, with an escort, to collect some of her things, like clothes, to bring with her. She also spent several hours searching for Titus, with no luck.) Kristina stepped through the portal to their living quarters in the Spirit World. Looking around, she examined her surroundings. She was standing in a large living room. Her roommate and the brunette, whose name she now knew as Kuwabara, were sprawled over the couch and a large armchair. Her target, Kurama, was lying on the rug in front of a fireplace, and Hiei was nowhere to be seen. "Oh look, our little burglar is back." Kuwabara drawled.

"Shut up. I have no interest in talking to you." Kristina turned to Yusuke

"You're Yusuke, right?"

"Yeah, what's it to you?"

"I'm your roommate until further notice, buddy, so be polite. Where's your room?"

"M-m-my roommate? As in, sleeping in _MY_ ROOM!?"

"That is what I said. Now, show me to your room or I'll make you." Yusuke nodded grudgingly, than got up and led Kristina on a very fast tour of the house, ending at his room. As he followed her into his room, he stopped suddenly, with a horrified look on his face.

"Uh-oh. There's only one bed in here. I'll call Koenma and tell him, I'm sure he'll understand." Kristina walked over to the bed and picked up an envelope lying there.

"Here, looks like ol' babyface already thought of that." Looking hopeful, Yusuke opened the letter, which immediately shot out of his hands, out the door, and down the stairs.

//Kurama's Point of View// A large envelope came sailing down the stairwell, coming to a halt right in the middle of the living room, with Kristina and Yusuke in hot pursuit. Before either could grab it, the letter glowed blue and started yelling in Koenma's voice. _DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT, YUSUKE! YOU TWO WILL, I REPEAT WILL, SHARE A BED. THAT'S FINAL! _

//Third Person POV// Kuwabara cracked up, falling off the couch and rolling on the floor, laughing. Kurama was having trouble keeping himself from laughing, and was unable to hide a grin. Yusuke and Kristina, however, were far from amused. They both turned red. In order to get away, Kristina said, "I'm going to take a shower, and possibly drown myself." She left quickly, collected clean clothes, and then proceeded to boil herself in a very hot shower. She'd just stepped out of the shower and was reaching for her towel when the door opened. She screamed instinctively. There, in the doorway, stood Hiei. He just stood and gaped for a split second, then took one look at Kristina's face and shot out of the room. "I'm gonna _kill_ you, shrimp! Get _back_ here!"

/Meanwhile, downstairs in the living room/ Upstairs, a scream sounded, than a slam, followed by a second slam, after which came the sound of someone running for dear life, with a second person in hot pursuit. "Ten bucks say that Hiei walked in on Kristina," Kurama said, calmly, not bothering to look up from his book.

"You're on," Yusuke replied. Moments later, Hiei came running through the room, looking as if he _knew_ he was in big trouble. Kristina was right behind him. All three boys watched, wide-eyed, as she ran past. In her hurry to catch Hiei, she'd only had time to grab a towel to cover herself with. The hastily wrapped towel just covered her bosom, and exposed her long, shapely legs. Her hair streamed behind her, dripping wet. When she had disappeared, all three flopped back to wherever they'd been sitting.

"Pay up Yusuke." Kurama said, smiling. "That was plenty of proof."

"Man, Yusuke, you are one lucky guy. Sharin' your room with that beauty." Kuwabara sighed. A terrified yell broke the silence, along with numerous bangs/crashes, then a cry of

"I didn't know you were in there! Don't touch me! Get _off_! Al_right_! I'm _sorry_! "

"She caught him." The boys said together. An ominous silence made the boys uneasy. The fact that Hiei had _apologized_ was even more worrisome, especially to Kurama, who knew that was _very_ unlike Hiei.

"We'd better make sure Hiei's still alive." Kurama murmured, getting up from his chair. They headed in the direction from which to noise had come from.

When they arrived, in Hiei's room, as it happened, Kristina was nowhere in sight. Hiei, however, was hanging upside-down by his ankles. The thing that held him up was a column of ice, engraved into which were the words. "I have control over water, idiot." Hiei was unconscious, knocked out by one of the hits Kristina had landed. "Hmmmm…judging by the katana on the ground, I'd say she hit him in the head with the hilt of this." Kurama commented picking up the katana and examining it.

"Wow, hot _and_ dangerous." Kuwabara murmured. It took the boys the better part of an hour to get Hiei down, as the ice was very hard, and the little shards they got off were sharp, the cuts on their arms proof of that. It was a good thing for them that Hiei wasn't currently in the same level of consciousness as they were, because his ankles came loose rather unexpectedly, and he fell to the floor with a thud.

"Ouch. Right on his head, too. He's gonna have a _major_ headache when he wakes up." Yusuke commented. After Hiei had been placed carefully on his bed, the rest of them headed back downstairs to find the culprit.

After she'd given Hiei his well deserved thrashing, Kristina pulled on her P.J.s, which consisted of loose black pants and a tight, form-fitting black tank-top, then proceeded to drape herself across the rug in the living room with a book. The boys came downstairs, calling her name. What she found odd was that they didn't seem to see her, even though they were in the living room. Then Kurama tripped over her leg and fell on top of her.

"Kristina! How did you get there?" he seemed both angry and confused, although he didn't get off of her.

"I've been here the whole time, you numbskull. How you didn't see where I was is beyond me. WOULD YOU GET _OFF_?!"

"Huh? Oh, sorry." Kurama blushed and scrambled up. It took Kristina a moment to realize why the boys couldn't see her. The rug she'd been lying on was soft, thick, and black. She was wearing black clothes; her hair was splayed over her arms/hands, and the surplus material of her pants concealed what little bare skin was still visible. In short, Kristina was invisible to the casual eye. She stood,

"Since you three have returned, I'm going to bed, which means you are too, Yusuke. If you stay up later, and wake me up, I can guarantee you'll regret doing so."

"Fine" he grumbled.

"Maybe we should all get to bed." Kurama suggested as Kuwabara yawned.

"Good idea." Kuwabara mumbled "Night all." The rest of the group responded similarly, and headed for the stairs as one. Once Yusuke and Kristina reached his room, the girl made a beeline for his bed, burrowing under the blankets and ignoring his protests. He gave up after a few minutes, closed the door, and said

"Stay under there until I say you can come out." Kristina didn't like his tone, nor did she like being ordered around.

"Now tell me, why should I listen to, let alone _obey_, the commands of a human teenager?" Yusuke turned red, trying valiantly to control his anger.

"Because I don't want you watching me change. Now do it." Partially because she just wanted to sleep and also because she wanted him to be quiet, Kristina obeyed, pulling the blankets over her head.

"You can come out now." Yusuke said, climbing into bed next to her. Almost immediately, he rolled over, nearly knocking Kristina off the bed.

"I'm here too, idiot." she snapped. He argued back. Over the next ten minutes, the argument escalated into a shouting match. Soon, Kurama opened the door and poked his head inside.

"If you two don't be quiet and get to sleep, I'm going to _make_ you hush." Despite the fact that his voice was sleepy, it was clear that he would make good his promise. Both Yusuke and Kristina quieted down, flopping back onto the bed, back-to-back. "Good, now please _stay_ quiet. Goodnight." Kurama shut the door and left. Kristina concentrated on ignoring Yusuke, who was muttering under his breath about:

"_Sure, I get stuck with the _one_ girl who can catch and beat Hiei up. _Wonderful_! Tomorrow I'm going to complain to Koenma, I'm gonna wake up _dead_ if she stays here.._." He continued, but Kristina lost interest and fell asleep.

/Later/

'Whump'

"That is _it_. I'm taking over." Kristina hissed, getting up from the floor. Yusuke had just shoved her out of bed for the third time, and she had had enough. "Hey, Yusuke." she shook his shoulder, trying to wake him up.

"Wipnft…Uuuhhnn…wha?" He mumbled, still more than half asleep. Kristina socked him in the stomach, not in the mood to be nice. "Oof! Hey, what was that for? I was asleep y'know." He was less than happy to be awake. 'Smack' Yusuke recoiled with a yelp, his hand over his face where Kristina had slapped him "Why'd ya' slap me?"

"Because this is the third time you have kicked or shoved me out of bed and I'm tired of putting up with it. You will not move for the rest of the night." she forced him back to his side of the.

"Hey what are you doing?" Kristina ignored the question and gestured at Yusuke's feet, then made a sweeping motion towards his head. In seconds, his body was incased in a coffin-like enclosure of ice.

"There." she said, satisfied. "I can sleep, you can sleep, and I don't have to worry about how hard the floor is anymore. Don't worry, you can breath in there, so stop glaring at me." Pleased, Kristina curled up and fell asleep.

9


	2. Fight me

Yeah, well...here's chapter two...

* * *

/Next Morning/ Kristina woke up, hopped out of bed, and left, paying no attention to Yusuke. She changed into a pair of baggy jeans, a tight black T-shirt that read 'Tomorrow, I'll be sober, but you'll still be ugly', and a dark green hooded sweatshirt. Thus attired, she vaulted over the railing on the stairs and landed in the hallway below. Kurama and Kuwabara come running into the hall, hearing the sound she made when she landed, and fell. "Are you okay?" Kurama asked, extending a hand to help her up. Instead of taking the offered hand, Kristina stood on her own and glared at them.

"Who had the _brilliant_ idea to put a rug _right_ beneath the landing of the stairs?" Without waiting for an answer, she dusted herself off, and then walked past both boys and into the kitchen.

"Talk about giving the cold shoulder." Kuwabara observed. Once Kristina was in the kitchen, she settled herself with a bowl of cereal. The boys, now accompanied by Hiei, who looked to be in a very bad mood indeed, entered. "Why do you have those out?" Kuwabara wanted to know, indicating the sharp claws Kristina was casually flexing.

"Why does it matter?"

"Just leave her alone Kuwabara."

"Because I need to clip them. Besides that…it's not a complete form. I'm…I suppose you could say that I'm stuck." Kristina finished her breakfast, and headed for the door, hoping to get away before a certain unwanted question arose. On the way out, she couldn't resist irritating further Hiei's wounded pride. "Nice black eye, shorty." she whispered as she passed him.

"Hey, Kristina. Have you seen Yusuke this morning?" Kurama tactfully changed the subject before Hiei could say anything.

"Uhhh…. nope, haven't seen him, Kurama." Something about the way Kristina acted made all of them suspicious.

"Why are you acting so nervous?" Hiei wanted to know.

"I'm not nervous."

"Grab 'er!" Kuwabara yelled, then tackled Kristina. She wriggled out of his grasp and was about to make a getaway, but she ran right into Hiei's arms. The only reason she hadn't seen him was because she'd been looking behind her, keeping an eye on Kuwabara and Kurama, who she'd deemed more of a threat.

"Why do you _always_ catch me when I'm looking the other way?" Kristina asked, more questioning herself then him, so she was surprised when he answered.

"Because you never think to pay attention to what's ahead."

"I thought you weren't talking to me."

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are!"

"Hn"

"Oh so that's all you're gonna say now!?"

"Hn."

"Aaarrgh! Stop saying…mmmmmmf!" Kurama had come up from behind Kristina clapped a hand over her mouth to muffle her complaints.

"It's too early for attempts at killing each other. Just tell us were Yusuke is."

"**NO**!"

"Um, Kurama, I found Yusuke." Kuwabara showed up, and Kristina knew that he'd gone into Yusuke's room and seen him.

"And?" Kurama prompted.

"I think you should see this." Kurama looked at Kristina suspiciously.

"He'd better still be alive, Kristina. Otherwise, Koenma may change his mind about sparing your life." He dragged the protesting girl with him to Yusuke's room. "Good heavens!" He exclaimed when he saw Yusuke "What on earth did you _do_ to him!?"

"Simple. I put him in there so he'd stop shoving me off the bed. Don't worry, he'll live."

"Well, let him out! We know how hard that stuff is!" Grumbling about weaklings, Kristina caused the enclosure to collapse, covering Yusuke in a heap of ice, water, and slush. He sat up quickly, coughing and sputtering.

"That's cold!" Without further ado; he got out of bed (Or rather, puddle!) and raced after Kristina, who had just run out of the room. Kurama, Kuwabara, and Hiei watched her lead Yusuke on a merry chase around the house.

"It's gonna be a loooong two weeks." Kurama muttered.

"You said it." Kuwabara replied.

/One Week and 6 days later (1 day before everyone leaves)/ The boys and Kristina were headed for Koenma's office. Kristina knew, from careful eavesdropping, that the boys were going to attempt to rid themselves of her. "It's not going to work, you know." she informed them.

"_What's_ not going to work?" All four snapped. Kristina smirked.

She'd spent her time either in the gym, on a training field, being lectured by Koenma, or at the boy's Spirit World living quarters. When she was at the house, she always managed to drive _at least_ one of the boys absolutely crazy. Kurama, for example, was in a bad mood for several reasons. One, something had put him in the same form Kristina spent most of her time in, meaning he had claws to contend with and he had to stick to the Spirit World, making it nearly impossible for him to escape the newest member of the team. Also, three days ago, Kristina had come up behind him when he'd come back from swimming at the pool and had pressed the receiving end of a shocking pen into Kurama's back. Thanks to the water covering him and the fact that Kristina had been tinkering with the wiring, he received a major shock, which knocked him out for several hours; when he came to, he discovered that he couldn't get his hair to lie flat. It had taken him nearly an hour, 2 combs, and Yusuke's help to get it to stay down this morning.

Hiei was still sore about the fact that Kristina had beat him up; Yusuke didn't like sharing a room with her (she'd gotten her own bed 2 days after the 'ice coffin' episode) and she'd put glitter in his hairgell this morning, so he sparkled. Even Kuwabara had stopped eyeing her, after she'd put him inside a suit of ice while he slept, and then forced him to wear it until she got bored with it. As a result of these and other pranks Kristina had pulled on the boys, everyone was in a **very** bad mood.

"I'm telling you, it's not going to work." she repeated.

"Just **Shut Up**!" They all yelled. After this, they continued in silence to Koenma's office. Kurama, who was in front, knocked on the door, which opened.

"Come in." The boys, who wanted to leave her outside, shoved Kristina roughly to the side. She responded by conjuring several dozen ice cubes, which dropped down their collars. "Kristina, did you do that?" Koenma asked, watching Yusuke, Kurama, and Kuwabara hopping around, trying to rid themselves of the freezing objects. Hiei was attempting to get rid of the ice by melting it. It wasn't working.

"Of course it was me."

"Would you get rid of the ice please? I think they were intending to talk with me, and it is impossible to do so like this."

"You're a spoilsport, you know that?" she responded.

"_Now,_Kristina**." **

"Yessir**." **Kristina immediatelyturned the ice to water, which soaked the boys, trickling wherever the ice hadn't been to begin with, which guaranteed miserably cold clothes. Then:

"Ack! Kurama!" Koenma and the other boys yelped. Kurama, in order to dry off, shook himself like a dog, a trick he'd used before, but never indoors. This sprayed the water everywhere, and left him relatively dry, although his hair was sticking up again. "Did you boys have a reason to be here, or did you just want to cause trouble?"

"We came to ask if you'd keep Kristina here. We don't want her help, and she's causing more trouble than you'd believe." Kurama said, trying unsuccessfully to get his hair to lie flat.

"She's coming and that's that. You need a girl for this tournament and even _I_ can't get around that rule Now, go pack!"

"But she's useless!" Yusuke complained. Kristina bristled at this, and tensed up, ready to spring.

"Kristina, calm down. Yusuke, she's just as skilled as you are."

"Yeah right! She's just a _girl_!" Koenma sighed and shook his head.

"Kristina, would you like to have a practice fight with Yusuke?" Kristina grinned evilly.

"Of course. _Just_ a girl, am I? Yusuke, meet me on Training Court D in 15 minutes."

"You're on." Yusuke said, cracking his knuckles. As she left the room, Koenma sighed again.

"What am I going to do with that girl?"

Kristina was waiting on the court when Yusuke showed up with the others, and Botan, who she had met the week before. When they entered, the boys, even _HIEI_, stood and gaped. "C'mon Yusuke!" Kristina called. She knew very well what they were looking at: her. Up until now, she spent all of her time out of the water in loose, comfortable clothes. Not today. Today she was wearing a tight white tank top, which showed part of her belly, and skin-tight black pants. She went barefoot, and had braided her hair. "Quit goggling! I'm here to fight!"

"When'd your hair get so long?" Kuwabara asked (It hangs to her hips.)

"It's always long. I just keep it up. Now, Yusuke, are you going to fight, or will you forfeit, to save yourself embarrassment?"

"I'll fight! I _never_ forfeit!"

Kristina stood still, waiting for Yusuke to move first, which he did; He launched himself at her. She dodged, and then created a strip of slick ice beneath his feet, Yusuke skidded for a moment, and then fell hard on his rump.

"Did'ya trip over your own feet Yusuke?" Kristina asked "Poor baby. How 'bout a kiss to make you feel better?"

"Sure" Yusuke replied sarcastically.

Kristina made as if to blow a kiss to Yusuke, and a palm-sized kiss-print materialized in front of her, and then flew toward him

"Aaaah! Get it away from me!" Yusuke yelped, running away. The kiss hit his back, burning a hole through his shirt and leaving him with some nasty burns. "That was dirty!" he spat, picking himself up from where he'd fallen. Kristina didn't see his fist start to glow.

"At least it didn't hit your mouth, whiney." she called. In response, Yusuke shot the Spirit Gun at Kristina, and she didn't have the time to dodge fully. It collided with her left arm, which popped out of its socket from the force of the blow.

"Stupid boy!" she hissed, backing up several paces to assess the damage: not much beyond a dislocated shoulder and what was sure to be a spectacular bruise later.

Yusuke snarled, lunging at Kristina. She made a strange, sort of choked, cry. Spines of ice flew at Yusuke, piercing his skin in dozens of places. He yelled and started to pull them out. While he was thus occupied, Kristina closed the space between them and socked Yusuke in the stomach. He doubled over, wheezing, then gave a choked gasp as Kristina hit him again. Yusuke hit the ground; Kristina picked him up by the throat, and slammed her forehead into his. Yusuke groaned and went limp. Kristina released her grip on him and watched him fall to the floor in a heap.

She turned to the watchers "Anyone else feel like a thrashing?"

"No"

"I didn't think so." she murmured, moving toward the open doorway.

"You headin' for the Infirmary?" Kuwabara wanted to know

"Why would I go there?"

"Look at your arm!"

"Oh, that. I'm going to fix that now."

"_How_?"

"Watch and learn." Kristina leaned on the doorframe, braced her feet against the floor, and shoved all her weight on the dislocated shoulder. There was a sickening click, which made everyone flinch. When she walked back toward the group, her arm hung at a more normal angle.

Kristina marched back onto the court and crouched down next to Yusuke. "Hmmmm…out cold. Guess I hit him too hard." She rolled him over, then pulled him onto her back and shoulders. Steadying him with one hand, she headed for the door, than realized that everyone was staring at her. "What are you waiting for? Koenma needs to know the outcome of the fight, I'm taking Yusuke to the Infirmary, and I know that I'm the only person here who has already packed for the tournament. Come on, move it!"

"Maybe we should do what she says. I don't want to have to fight her." Kuwabara said. Everyone agreed. So they went, Botan to Koenma, Hiei and Kuwabara to pack, and Kurama went with Kristina.

At the infirmary, Kristina left Kurama with Yusuke and went to find a nurse. When she found one, she towed the woman back to where she'd left her companions.

"This guy needs the burns on his back tended to."

"What happened to him?"

"Me"

"Oh"

"Hey, Kurama"

"I'm listening."

"Race you to the kitchen. Loser makes lunch. How 'bout it?"

"You're on. I hope you're a good cook, because you're going to lose!"

"In your dreams. **GO!**" Lucky for them, there was no one in the halls but them as they tore down the hall, out of the main building, and across the courtyard to their quartes. They shot into the kitchen together, hit the slick linoleum floor, and skidded into everyone else (They were getting lunch), causing a mass pile-up. A pitcher of cranberry juice fell on both of them.

"What the heck just happened?!" Kuwabara yelled.

"I believe we just got hit by a pair of rampaging demons." Hiei said dryly "Now, whoever is trying to pull my leg off, **LET GO!**" Kurama laughed slightly from underneath his friend. His voice sounded…off, somehow, and this was mirrored in both Kurama and Kristina's actions. They said nothing, but laughed rather guiltily and tried to free themselves from the pile.

"Come on you two, let me clean you off." Botan grabbed both of them by the arm and tugged them toward the back door.

Whining and fighting the pull, they scooted inch by inch out the back door, and into the yard beyond. When Botan had successfully gotten them both into the yard and had closed the door (Kristina and/or Kurama had bolted for the door several times) the pair huddled together in the middle of the yard. The run down the hall and playful competition had awakened the mentality of eager-to-please fox cubs, and both of them were completely trapped in it. The closest comparison would be young children, probably boys, around the age of five or so, complete with the age-old abhorrence of bathing.

"She has a _hose_!" Kurama yelped.

"I don't wanna get wet! No hoses! That's not playing fair!" She wailed in reply. Botan stopped to turn the hose on, and was surprised to see both of her victims sit down in the grass and howl. She walked toward the two of them, still carrying the now running hose.

"RUN AWAY!!!!" They both cried, and then followed their own advice. They shot away from Botan and the hose. Unfortunately for them, the yard, although big, was walled in, and neither of them stopped to consider jumping over the wall.

"Guys, I think you may want to see this." Botan said, sticking her head inside.

"What?" They asked, coming to the door.

"Our resident enemies have apparently been caught off guard by an animal personality. Can you help me catch 'em?"

"What are you going to do when you do catch them?" Kuwabara questioned "Yeee!" Kristina and Kurama had just come flying around the corner, and Kuwabara had to jump _really_ fast to avoid being trampled.

"I'll give them a good hosing down and then see if I can get them back to the people we know and l-" Botan paused, reconsidering her choice of words, as the looks on both boys faces said that if she said 'love' then she would regret it. " And… know." She finished.

"Alright" Hiei said grudgingly.

Ten minutes later, Hiei and Kuwabara were stationed in different parts of the yard. Currently, both Kurama and Kristina were down at the small pond in one corner of the yard, trying to catch the water-skaters that flitted across the surface. Botan crept up to them, carrying the hose. She'd already tried bribing, having just barely escaped with both hands. "Hey there!" She said brightly, turning the hose on the two.

"Hoses! Run!" They both raced away, bowling Botan over.

"Incoming!" she called. They split up; Kurama running one way while Kristina ran the other. As Kristina ran, she heard a startled yelp, and then voiced one herself, as a heavy rope fell around her shoulders. Kuwabara climbed down from the tree he'd been in.

"Kristina? Could you possibly be reasonable and come with me?" Kristina whined in response. "Stop giving me those puppy eyes. Come on." He picked up the free end of rope and walked toward the house. Behind him, Kristina followed in a stiff-legged walk much like that of an angry cat, rather than being pulled on her rear.

"Thanks guys." Botan said, obviously relived. "Could you just stick around while I hose 'em?"

"Sure" came the reply. Kurama and his companion tried to make themselves as small as possible as Botan neared.

"How did they get you?" Kristina asked

"Hiei jumped out of a tree onto my back." Kurama muttered "He can be blasted heavy when he wants to! My back still hurts. You?"

"Kuwabara got me with a rope and dragged me here."

"Look out! It's the hose!"

"Now, just hold still." Botan commanded, then turned the hose on them. They voiced their opinion on the proceedings; Hiei and Kuwabara covered their ears.

"You'd better be finished quick." Hiei growled, "Otherwise I'm going to make them be quiet permanently."

"Don't worry, I'll be quick."

"Cold! Coldcoldcoldcoldcold!" Kurama and Kristina yowled. Then the water stopped. Kristina looked at Kurama, then shook, Kurama mirroring her. When they were reasonably dry and the others were quite wet, they retreated to a sun-warmed patch of grass.

"I don't think we're allowed to have animals on our team." Kuwabara said, disappointed. "She seems to be so much nicer like that. I mean, look how she's treating Kurama. It's almost like they're brother and sister."

"You're right. Oh well. Come on, follow me." Botan sighed and moved toward the pair.

"Hey guys," she said brightly. "Look, I don't have the hose, so you're safe." Assured by the way she and Kuwabara approached with hands out in front of them, Kurama and Kristina held their ground.

" Hey, Botan. How long are you going to play with them?"

"Eeeep! Hiei, don't sneak up behind me like that. I tol- Oh, dear" Botan broke off. Kristina had dropped onto all fours with her elbows on the ground, looking for all the world like she wanted to play. Botan moved toward Kristina, reaching out cautiously. She had just managed to grab Kristina's hand when she took off, leaving Botan on her back where she'd fallen.

"Botan, what did you do? Hey you, stop hopping around! Aaaagh!" Hiei was suddenly run over, or, more accurately, he was pounced over. Both Kurama and Kristina were currently prancing around, almost bouncing, and Kurama had gotten an idea.

"I'm going to see if Hiei wants to wrestle!" He said brightly, and shot away. After he'd knocked Hiei over, Kurama proceeded to get a good grip on Hiei's cloak and dragged him away.

"What do we _do_?" Kuwabara asked

"Play with them until we either catch them or they get tired out. That's all we _can_ do."

"What are those two _doing_? They look like they're getting along." Came another voice.

"Hey Yusuke!" Botan called happily. Yusuke walked over. He was currently shirtless, his bare chest mostly concealed by the bandages wound around his torso to cover the burns, and looking decidedly confused. "It's a long story." Botan said slowly.

"Do you _actually_ want me to _throw_ that? Fetch!" Kristina had just dropped a stick at Yusuke's feet, and he obliged by throwing it for her. She raced after it, waiting until it was nearly 12 feet off the ground before she jumped and caught it in mid-air.

"_Whoa_! Get off me! Aack! _Botan_! Help me!" Kristina had just pranced up, dropped the stick at Yusuke's feet, and jumped on him.

"Hang on!" Botan called, and ran over. Grabbing Kristina around the waist, she mumbled something under her breath. Immediately, the girl released Yusuke. As she realized what she'd been doing, she turned very red and ran to the house. Almost immediately after this, a yell echoed from the other end of the yard, a heavily wooded area.

"Somebody stop hiiiiiiiiiiim!" The pair, accompanied by Kuwabara, raced for the source of the sound and found Hiei, who had both arms wrapped around a tree, hanging on for dear life. Kurama was still resolutely gripping Hiei's cloak, growling playfully as Hiei kicked against the powerful pull on said cloak. Botan grabbed Kurama and repeated the incantation. When he was himself again, he apologized profusely before going into the house to find Kristina. It was quite clear to those outside when he did find her, in the living room.

"WHAT ON EARTH _POSSESSED_ YOU!? DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU MADE ME _DO_!?"

"I WASN'T DOING IT ON PURPOSE, YOU IDIOT!"

"NOT ON _PURPOSE_?! ARE YOU _INSANE_!? I'VE JUST SPENT THE BETTER PART OF TWO HOURS ACTING LIKE A PUPPY! _AND_ I NEARLY KILLED MY BEST FRIEND BY JUMPING ON HIM!"

"JUST SHUT UP!"

"I WILL _NOT_!"

"I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!"

"THAT'S FINE WITH ME!"

"SAME HERE!"

"YOU CAN DIE FOR ALL I CARE!"

"Ouch." Kuwabara said. Two door slams were heard, followed by the sound of two people just yelling at the top of their lungs. There were no words, just angry sound.

"Whoa, I didn't know he could be that loud." Hiei commented.

/Meanwhile, inside/ Kristina stomped around the room, getting angrier and angrier, screaming and cursing. All this emotion built up, until she felt as if she was going to explode. Knowing that this was possible, she opened the window, hopped out of it, and moved to the center of the back-yard lawn. Unknown to her, Yusuke was also outside, watching.

Voicing a high-pitched shriek, Kristina threw her head back, holding her hands towards the sky, palms up. Inside, everyone heard and raced to the door to find the cause of the ruckus. Streams of white light shot from Kristina's palms. Her eyes and mouth began to glow, than, from them, a pillar of blue light blasted skyward. Moments after that, huge chunks of ice plummeted out of nowhere towards her, only to be reduced to small chips of crushed ice by the light from her hands. These chips rained down, piling up in drifts more than a foot deep.

"All this over a shouting match?" Kurama asked, feeling guilty. He'd calmed down much more quickly than Kristina.

Meanwhile, outside, Kristina stopped screaming and stood straight again, then staggered, feeling weak. Her claws receded to normal human fingernails, and her pupils rounded out.

"Kristina!" Yusuke called, then ran over and caught her as her knees gave way. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Just tired."

"Why do you even bother with Kurama? Is there something between you two?"

"Promise not to tell anyone?"

"I promise."

"He's my brother."

10


	3. Aftereffects

Mmm...again, I hope this new version pleases all of you who may be reading this. Feedback is very much appreciated at this point, because it REALLY needs work.

* * *

"He's your _what_!?" Yusuke yelped. Kristina clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Quiet, you twit. He doesn't know. And _neither_ do _you_. Am I _clear_?" She hissed, idly tracing the dip in his collarbone with one finger.

"Crystal."

"_Good_."

"Can I ask you one question?" Yusuke asked timidly.

"You just did." Yusuke gave her a _look_. "Fire away."

"Why did you get so upset when he was yelling at you? Brothers and sisters fight all the time."

"We're not full siblings. And I've been trying to find and kill him for 10 years." Kristina's voice caught, and she swallowed hard.

"Why?"

"H-he _ruined_ my life…and I can _never_ forgive him for that."

"Kristina, it's okay, just-WHOA!" Yusuke cried in astonishment as Kristina threw herarms around his neck and began crying.

Kurama watched as Kristina fell and was caught by Yusuke. _Heh, I didn't think he was brave enough to stay out there during that._ Then, much to his surprise, after they traded a few words, she flung herself upon Yusuke and started bawling.

"And here I thought she was incapable of being even _somewhat_ normal." Hiei muttered, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Hiei! Don't be mean!" Botan squealed. Hiei gave no reply.

"And when did you become her friend?" Kuwabara wanted to know.

"I'm simply defending a fellow female!" she retorted. "Anyway, let's go see what's wrong." She headed out the door, with me and the others right behind her.

Botan, Hiei, Kuwabara, and Kurama came out of the house and approached, obviously curious. "What do you guys want?" Yusuke snapped, rather unnerved, as he currently had an attempted murderer crying in his lap.

"What's wrong with her?" Kurama asked, in a tone which Yusuke found more than a little uncaring and uninterested.

"I'm not telling anyone, but the last thing she needs right now is to have you around, Kurama. She was really hurt by the way you just treated her. She'll probably calm down by tonight."

"Fine then. I'm leaving." Kurama said, in a very haughty tone. He promptly turned a quick about-face and stalked back to the house.

"Has anyone else noticed that Yoko's been a bit more active recently?" Yusuke asked.

"Now that I think of it, yeah, you're right. He's been surfacing a lot lately, ever since Kristina arrived," Botan mused, watching Kurama.

"Will you guys _please_ go away so I can _try_ to calm her down?"

"We're gone." Botan said, and dragged Kuwabara and Hiei away by their collars.

"Shhhh. Kristina, it's okay. Calm down." Yusuke winced slightly as she dug her nails into his skin and continued sobbing. _Thank heaven she isn't in any sort of demonic form. Claws would be really painful_.

Kristina was in a state of emotional overload. Everything she'd been keeping bottled up inside her was finding an outlet, whether it was rage in screaming at Kurama, pride in fighting with Yusuke, or pain in crying into Yusuke's bandages. It was all just too much.

She was just barely aware of being picked up and carried over to the hammock that hung between two trees in a quiet corner of the yard. Once there, Yusuke settled into said hammock, carefully arranged Kristina in his lap, and proceeded to gently rock both of them while whispering into her ear. "It's alright Kristina, don't pay any attention to him. The next time he bothers you, I'll make him apologize on bended knee… I'll hang him by his ears from a flagpole… I'll set a pack of foxhounds after him." The soft, comforting sound of his voice calmed her. The day was warm, and the hammock comfortable. Both of them were lulled to sleep by the rocking and the steady beating of the other's heart….

"Mmph! Heehee! Don't wake them! This is _priceless_!" A babble of whispers and muffled laughter reached Kristina's ears. As she slowly woke up, she became aware of a second presence next to her. As she was still somewhat enveloped in a blanket of sleep, this didn't bother her.

"Isn't that adorable?" No mistaking that cheery tone; it had to be Botan.

"She's gonna kill us if she finds out though." That was Kuwabara. Kristina decided to investigate. Willing herself to open her eyes, she looked around and discovered what was 'priceless'; She had slid over Yusuke while they slept. Now, her legs were draped over his, her upper body beside his; one of his arms was beneath her, fingers entangled in her hair. The shock of realization shot through Kristina's still sleepy brain, fully waking her. She wriggled away, forgetting completely that she was in a hammock. It tipped precariously for a moment, and then flipped over, dumping the two of them on to the ground. As bad luck would have it, Kristina landed first, with Yusuke sprawled over her. He was quite heavy and still sound asleep. Kuwabara peered at the snoozing Spirit Detective. "Yup, he's out. Not gonna wake up for a while." he chuckled. Kristina squirmed and twisted in a vain attempt to free herself. Finally, though she hated doing it, she asked for help.

"Instead of standing there, how 'bout one of you gets this lump _off_ of me!?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming. Geez, hold on. There you go, free." Kuwabara lifted Yusuke off Kristina, but not before Botan had snapped a picture. Once again, Kristina stalked into the house, red with embarrassment. Botan helped Kuwabara throw Yusuke into the pond to wake him up, and then followed. Kristina showered, and then sprawled across her bed to sulk. Dinner was eaten in perfect silence, and then all tournament participants went to bed. They had an early morning tomorrow, consisting of a week by ship and 2 days by train.

3


End file.
